For those who might not follow, the Associated Press announces the winner of the NFL MVP award at the conclusion of the regular season.

All players are eligible, even those who might not be fortunate enough to play for playoff-contending teams.

From an individualistic standpoint (something that seems almost taboo to embrace within the team-like atmosphere of the NFL), this is the greatest honor any one player could receive for a single season.

The best teams win Super Bowls, the best (and most valuable) player becomes the league MVP.

Yet with as much anticipation as there has been for the announcement of this year's award winner, there seems to have been little indication as to when we will learn the news.

On Tuesday, the AP announced that Brian Cushing had won the Defensive Rookie of The Year award.

On Wednesday, they announced that Percy Harvin had won the Offensive Rookie of The Year award and that Tom Brady had won the Comeback Player of The Year award.

In years past, there has seemed to be something of a system.

Although last year the offensive and defensive rookies of the year were announced on the same day, this year they have managed to switch up the order without any apparent explanation.

I figured we might learn who won the league MVP award on Thursday.

The reason being in years past, we learned who won the Offensive and Defensive Players of The Year awards after they announced the MVP.

Only two defensive players have ever won the award (Allan Page in 1971 and Lawrence Taylor in 1986) and sometimes, the OPOTY award is given to a player whom was very productive, but didn't play for a winning team and thus lost out on the MVP award.

But nothing came on Thursday.

Last year (1/2/09) they announced the league MVP winner on the Friday prior to the Wild Card round of the playoffs and after this past Friday came and went, we were left with nothing.

I would imagine that they would have to announce the award-winner sometime on Saturday (probably before the first playoff game).

But my biggest issue isn't as much with the late announcement as it is with the fact that the announcement date has been almost impossible to track down.

Try Google, try Wikipedia, try Yahoo Answers...and find nothing.

Something of this much importance should not be that difficult to track down.

I’m sure that somebody somewhere has been able to track this information down. Perhaps it was nearly impossible to find or perhaps it was under my nose. Either way, it shouldn’t have to become an online scavenger hunt.

In college, the Heisman Trophy award presentation has its own date, time, and TV spot. All deservingly so by the way, but why not half of the recognition for the NFL's MVP award?

The Heisman Trophy is essentially the NCAA's MVP award.

Not to knock college football, but think of this.

A very small percentage of college players ever have any shot at making it to the NFL.

Far fewer have any chance of playing at an elite level in the NFL.

Yet we honor the best player that college has to offer with the recognition that they deserve, but the most valuable player at the pro level doesn't even warrant an announcement date?

I love the Associated Press, and I respect the MVP voters as they get their selections right almost every year.

My issue is with how they have decided to handle the announcement of an award that is as important as any other in professional sports.

Whenever they decide to let us know is their prerogative, I just wish they would have given us a little more of an indication as to when that time would be.